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Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was criticized for picking battles with Ottawa over immigration and the monarchy as the electoral campaign nears its end.
Liberal Leader Charles Milliard called the PQ leader “belligerent” and “quarrelsome” on the campaign trail Wednesday.
“It’s the exact opposite of what Quebec needs,” he said, adding that the PQ leader should “focus on Quebec’s economy and the health of Quebecers, rather than worrying about the lieutenant-governor’s salary.”
On Tuesday, St-Pierre Plamondon said a PQ government would not allocate any money for the lieutenant-governor and redistribute those sums to tackle homelessness.
The PQ leader estimates that Quebecers pay up to $15 million per year to uphold the Crown, including for the lieutenant-governor’s salary. The Coalition Avenir Québec has also proposed to modify the lieutenant-governor’s role.
“What I want is to cut out the waste involved in this and do away with the symbolism, which is one of domination by force,” St-Pierre Plamondon told journalists.
Each province has a lieutenant-governor, appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister, to represent the Crown in their jurisdiction. Their duties include swearing in deputies at the legislature and providing royal assent to provincial laws.
Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette said her party has also considered abolishing the position of lieutenant-governor. It previously tabled a proposed constitution for Quebec in the legislature that would have revised and renamed the position.
“To us, it’s not an essential position,” Fréchette said.
However, the proposed constitution was not adopted before the legislature adjourned.
St-Pierre Plamondon said his party also plans to table legislation to abolish the monarchy in Quebec. He added that the legislature could pass a law to abolish the lieutenant-governor’s duties and “stop allocating funds to this money-wasting farce.”
But he acknowledged that citizens could challenge these decisions in court.
The PQ leader has consistently expressed his opposition to the monarchy’s role in the province over the years.
Four years ago, he petitioned for the Quebec legislature to end the mandatory oath to the King for elected officials, describing it as “humiliating.” The legislature adopted a law to this effect after PQ deputies refused to pledge allegiance to the Crown following the 2022 election.
Lawyer Lawrence David filed a motion at the Quebec Superior Court in August to have that law struck down and proceedings are ongoing.
Still, St-Pierre Plamondon insisted that “there’s no one in Quebec who thinks we should spend money to remind ourselves that we’ve historically been under England’s control.”
Immigration has become one of the central issues of the campaign, in part due to St-Pierre Plamondon linking it to problems like homelessness and the decline in the French language.
On Wednesday, he suggested that an increase in immigration to Quebec decided by the Carney government would be an “anti-democratic abuse of power.”
The day before, in an interview with the New York Times, Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned a controlled increase in immigration without specifying the timeline.
Fréchette also expressed concern over Carney’s comment, saying she does not believe Canada needs to increase its immigration targets.
“We need to see how this will unfold, and then we’ll have to respect the threshold adopted by the Quebec government. That’s non-negotiable,” she said.
On Tuesday, Fréchette announced that a Coalition Avenir Québec government would lower its immigration targets and accept fewer asylum seekers. The PQ and the Conservative party have promised to do the same.
Milliard, on the other hand, insisted the federal government has an important role to play in controlling immigration and that the Liberal party would collaborate closely with Ottawa.
“Support capacity is limited; it needs to be better assessed,” he said. “Being a federalist means collaborating, and standing up to the federal government when necessary.”
Québec solidaire has promised to increase the number of immigrants the province accepts. However, leader Ruba Ghazal said it’s crucial for Quebec to be consulted in the decision-making process.
Élections Québec has said nearly a quarter of eligible voters cast their ballot in advance polls.
The PQ, the Coalition Avenir Québec, the Quebec Liberals, the Quebec Conservatives and Québec solidaire are all expecting to win seats when the polls close on Oct. 5.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.
The Canadian Press
